The Wolf and the Fox get in bed

One of the things the envoy from the Zui ministry of rites told Chu Yun was that on their wedding night, he and Xiao Zai should reveal to each other their beast selves -- as per Zui custom.

He went on about how sacred the beast self was in Zui, and how only one's family and spouse were allowed to see it.

In Xin things were a lot more relaxed. It was still the norm for only family members to see one another's beast forms. And while no one was walking the busy streets of Lanzhou one moment and shifting into full form the next to cut through the crowds as a fox, a slithering snake, or flying overhead as a crane, there wouldn't be any outrage if a small child did it by mistake, or an uncouth youth on purpose to get a rise out of his friends.

The Chu nine-tailed fox clan had been ruling Xin for centuries, and their rule had always been marked by temperance and tolerance.

There were many more smaller clans living inside Xin's borders, such as the Fei snakes, and Yin cranes. Each clan had their own traditions and customs regarding the beast form. A smart ruler knew better than to thread on other's traditions -- that was a fast way to end up violently deposed.

So no king ever did. The consensus in Xin was that the beast form was a private matter, treated in the same way as one's inner robes -- it was best if they weren't shown in public, but if it were to happen, no harm would come of it.

Of course, Zui would take it one step further by treating them like underwear.

In Chu Yun's inebriated state, there was nothing more hilarious than Xiao Zai's reddened face as he stared down at all nine of Chu Yun's white tails.

Chu Yun ran a finger over the tip of the tail closest to him. "You can count them. Take as long as you need," he said, before dissolving into a fit of giggles while imagining Xiao Zai being unable to count up to nine.

"Shameless," Xiao Zai said, through gritted teeth.

He wanted to storm out of the room and go sleep somewhere else, but he knew how that would look. The king would surely find a way to blame his dam for it. Accuse him of putting ideas into Xiao Zai's head, like he always did.

Chu Yun sat up on his elbows and shot Xiao Zai an incredulous look. "How am I shameless? Aren't we married? This is your tradition I'm following. In Xin there's no ritual associated with the beast form."

His teeth still gritted, Xiao Zai spit out. "It's supposed to be special." 'And you're making a mockery out of it', went unsaid.

The worst part was that Chu Yun's fox features were extremely eye-catching. For the Zui wolves, the most desirable trait in an omega were oversized wolf ears and tails, with the alphas having shorter ears and more slender, less fluffy tails.

Spread out on the bed, surrounded by a blanket of his own enormous tails, Chu Yun looked like something out of the pornographic books that were sometimes peddled in the streets of Haolin.

Coincidentally, nine-tailed foxes figured extensively in them. All of them wanton and licentious, willing to do the most degrading acts with a rapturous smile. Not that Xiao Zai had ever read one of those books.

Unaware of the thoughts going through Xiao Zai's mind, Chu Yun thought his new husband would be a lot prettier if he just smiled.

"We're obviously not consummating this marriage," Chu Yun said, falling back onto the mattress with a thump. "So we should at least do this much."

He raised one leg off the bed and tried to get his red silk boots off. He tried to get his tails to help him out, but he was too drunk and uncoordinated to handle two arms and two legs, let alone nine tails.

It took Xiao Zai a moment to parse out Chu Yun's words. For a moment, it wasn't obvious why they weren't going to consummate the marriage.

A sudden image of himself biting down hard on Chu Yun's neck to keep him pinned in place under him, so that Xiao Zai could rub himself off on his smooth, pampered skin swam up to the surface of his mind. Xiao Zai drowned it before it could fully form.

"I should mark you," Xiao Zai said, clearing his throat which had gone painfully tight.

Chu Yun shot up in the bed, one of his boots finally falling to the floor with a dull thud. "Why is that? Maybe I should mark you."

"You're the one marrying into my family," Xiao Zai reasoned. "It makes sense."

Chu Yun let out a bitter laugh. "None of this makes sense. What is the point of you marking me? It won't bond us the same way it would if one of us were an omega." His smile grew derisive. "I hope his Highness didn't grow up dreaming of a soulbond."

Xiao Zai had, actually. "Soulbonds are fairytales."

"We agree, then," said Chu Yun before kicking his remaining boot off, and falling back on the bed, his back turned to Xiao Zai. "No one is marking anyone. If you don't want to show me your wolf form, then don't."

Xiao Zai stayed where he was, eyeing Chu Yun's stiff back wearily. They hadn't been married for a full day yet and already Xiao Zai's dreams of an harmonious cohabitation seemed unlikely.

He took off his own boots, his red wedding robe, and climbed onto the bed in his white inner robes, settling down under the mattress. He faced the opposite direction as Chu Yun, who remained above the covers.

"I'll have to mark you eventually," Xiao Zai said, his voice breaking the silence in the room. "I was specifically instructed to do so, even if our union is... unorthodox."

Behind him, he could feel the line of Chu Yun's back growing even more rigid.

"Give it your best shot. If you think I'll just roll over and let you, you have another thing coming."